System and method for monitoring handwashing compliance including soap dispenser with integral hand-washing monitor and smart button system

ABSTRACT

A hand-washing monitor and hand washing monitoring system are provided. The hand-washing monitoring system includes a motion detector mounted near, to or in a sink and configured to detect a scrubbing motion near an outlet of a sink faucet and a user wearable smart button device that interacts with the motion detector. The system includes a processor coupled to the motion detector and smart button device and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to monitor the motion detector for signals indicative of the scrubbing motion that is continuous during a predetermined scrubbing interval and to provide signal indicating a successful scrubbing operation when the scrubbing motion is continuously detected during the entire interval to the smart button device. The hand-washing monitor includes a housing containing the processor, the motion detector, the memory and proximity sensors for detecting the application of soap.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/406,492, filed on Oct. 11, 2016, entitled “SOAP DISPENSER WITHINTEGRAL HAND-WASHING MONITOR,” and claims priority to and is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No.15/443,081, filed on Feb. 27, 2017, and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORMONITORING HANDWASHING COMPLIANCE,” which claims priority of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/320,056, filed on Apr. 8, 2016,entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING HANDWASHING COMPLIANCE,” theentire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Hospitals, restaurants and food manufacturing facilities all rely on thecleanliness of their employees. Many states have regulations concerningproper hand-washing procedures to minimize the danger infection and thetransmission of pathogens. Despite these regulations, however, therecontinue to be numerous instances of infection and illness caused bypoor and insufficient hand washing.

SUMMARY

A hand-washing monitoring system includes a motion detector mountedproximate the top of a sink and configured to detect a scrubbing motionat a location near an outlet of a faucet of the sink. The system furtherincludes a processor coupled to the motion detector, and a memorycoupled to the processor. The processor is configured to monitor themotion detector for signals indicative of scrubbing motion throughout apredetermined period or specified scrubbing interval, and to provide asignal indicating a satisfactory or successful scrubbing operation whena scrubbing motion is detected throughout the period or interval.

Another example of a hand-washing monitoring system includes a motiondetector mounted proximate the top of a sink and configured to detectthe presence of hands at a location below and/or in front of a faucetoutlet of the sink, and, optionally, a scrubbing motion by the hands.The system includes a processor coupled to the motion detector and amemory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to monitorthe motion detector for signals indicative of the presence of the handsand/or the scrubbing motion that is persistent and/or continuous duringa specified period or predetermined washing interval and to provide asignal indicating a successful washing operation when the presence ofthe hands and/or the scrubbing motion is detected throughout the entireperiod or interval.

In one embodiment, a control unit and display are integrated with a soapdispenser. The motion detector that monitors the location and/orscrubbing motion may also be integrated with the soap dispenser toprovide a single unit that implements the hand washing protocol. Theintegrated soap dispenser may operate on battery power or may be poweredby a power supply configured to receive operational power from theelectrical wiring in the venue.

An example of a hand-washing monitoring system for use with a sinkhaving a faucet and a soap dispenser is also provided. The hand-washingmonitoring system including a motion detector, a proximity detector, oneor more display devices, a processor and a memory storing programinstructions. The motion detector may be mounted to the sink. The motiondetector is configured to detect a scrubbing motion in or above the sinkand beneath an outlet of the faucet. The proximity detector is mountedproximate the soap dispenser, and is configured to detect theapplication of soap to an object. The processor is coupled to the motiondetector, the proximity detector and the one or more display devices,and the memory. The memory includes program instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to display, using one ofthe one or more of the display devices, a first prompt to place handsunder the faucet. The processor monitors the motion detector for signalsindicative of the presence of the hands beneath the faucet. Using one ofthe one or more display devices, the processor causes the display of asecond prompt to apply soap to the hands. The processor monitors theproximity detector for signals indicative of the application of soap tothe hands. The processor, using one of the one or more display devices,causes display of a third prompt to scrub hands. The processor monitorsthe motion detector for signals indicative of the scrubbing motion for apredetermined interval. The processor, using one of the one or moredisplay devices, causes display of a fourth prompt to rinse the handsafter the predetermined interval. The processor monitors the motiondetector for the signals indicative of the presence of the hands beneaththe faucet; and causes a fifth prompt to be displayed, using one of theone or more display devices, indicating completion of the hand washing.

In another embodiment, a hand-washing monitoring system for use with asink may include a motion detector mounted proximate to a top surface ofthe sink and configured to detect a scrubbing motion at a location nearan outlet of a faucet of the sink, a smart button device configured tobe worn by a user and interact with the motion detector, the smartbutton device including a light indicator configured to at least one ofchange color and light status, a processor coupled to the motiondetector and the smart button device, and a memory coupled to theprocessor. The memory may include program instructions that whenexecuted by the processor cause the processor to: monitor the motiondetector for signals indicative of the scrubbing motion throughout apredetermined scrubbing interval, provide a first output signal when thescrubbing motion is detected during the entire interval such that thefirst output signal is associated with a positive detectiondetermination, transmit the first output signal to the smart buttondevice, and set the light indicator of the smart button device to apositive indication color to indicate the positive detectiondetermination.

In another embodiment, hand-washing monitoring system for use with asink having a faucet and a soap dispenser may include a motion detectormounted to the sink and configured to detect a scrubbing motion near anoutlet of the faucet, a proximity detector mounted proximate to the soapdispenser and configured to detect application of soap to an object, asmart button device configured to be worn by a user and interact withthe motion detector and the proximity detector, the smart button deviceincluding a light indicator configured to at least one of change colorand light status, one or more display devices, a processor coupled tothe motion detector, the proximity detector, the smart button device,and the one or more display devices, and a memory coupled to theprocessor. The memory may include program instructions that cause theprocessor to: display, using one of the one or more display devices, afirst prompt to place hands under the faucet, monitor the motiondetector for signals indicative of the presence of the hands beneath thefaucet, display, using one of the one or more display devices, a secondprompt to apply soap to the hands, monitor the proximity detector forsignals indicative of the application of soap to the hands, display,using one of the one or more display devices, a third prompt to scrubhands, monitor the motion detector for signals indicative of thescrubbing motion for a predetermined interval, display, using one of theone or more display devices, a fourth prompt to rinse the hands afterthe predetermined interval, monitor the motion detector for the signalsindicative of the presence of the hands beneath the faucet, display afifth prompt, using one of the one or more display devices, indicatingcompletion of the hand washing, transmit a first output signal to thesmart button device associated with the display of the fifth promptindicating completion of the hand washing, and set the light indicatorof the smart button device to a positive indication color and lightstatus to indicate completion of the hand washing for the user.

In yet another embodiment, a smart button device for use with ahand-washing monitoring system including a monitor installed on a sinkhaving a faucet is configured to be worn by a user and may include ahousing, a light indicator disposed on the housing and configured to atleast one of change color and light status, a processor coupled to thesmart button device, and a memory coupled to the processor. The memorymay include program instructions that when executed by the processorcause the processor to: adjust the light indicator from a positiveindication color and a positive solid light status to an intermediatemode comprising at least one of a negative blinking light status and analert indication color after a predetermined periodic cycle based on notreceiving a prompt signal from the monitor indicative of completion of ahand washing for the user, adjust the light indicator from theintermediate mode to a negative solid light status and a negativeindication color after a predetermined action period based on theabsence of, or the failure to receive, a prompt signal from the monitorindicative of completion of a hand washing for the user during thepredetermined action period, and adjust the light indicator from theintermediate mode to the positive indication color and the positivesolid light status after the predetermined action period based onreceiving a prompt signal from the monitor indicative of completion of ahand washing for the user during the predetermined action period.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram, partly in perspective, of a sink in a foodpreparation establishment that includes a first example of ahand-washing monitoring system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a sensor module suitable for use with thesystem shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a controller module suitable for use withthe system shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D are block diagrams of sink sensors suitable foruse with the system shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are block diagrams of display modules suitable for usewith the system shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are display diagrams showing an example display sequencethat may be displayed using the display module shown in FIG. 5B.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram, partly in perspective, of a sink in a foodpreparation establishment that includes a second example of ahand-washing monitoring system.

FIG. 7B is an overhead plan view of a sink in a food preparationestablishment including the hand-washing monitoring system of FIG. 7Athat illustrates the field of view of motion sensors of the hand-washingmonitoring system of FIG. 7A.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are flow-chart diagrams that are useful for describingthe operation of the examples of the hand-washing monitoring systemssuch as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 7A.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are flow-chart diagrams that describe examples ofhand-washing operations where the worker rinses before applying soap anddoes not rinse before applying soap, respectively.

FIGS. 9C, 9D and 9E are alternative flow-chart diagrams that describeexample hand-washing operations where the worker rinses before applyingsoap and does not rinse before applying soap, respectively.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are flow-chart diagrams that are useful for describingthe operation of the examples of a hand-washing monitor such as thoseshown in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram, partly in perspective, of a sink in a foodpreparation establishment that includes an alternative hand-washingmonitoring system.

FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D are plan views showing details of theexample hand-washing monitoring system shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a smart button device that interacts withthe hand-washing monitoring system, according to one or more embodimentsshown and described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Most soaps do not kill bacteria, viruses or other potentiallycontaminating pathogens that food service and hospital workers may carryon their hands. Some soaps include antiseptic or anti-bacterial agentsthat are meant to kill these pathogens. These agents, however, may notkill all of the contaminants if a particular pathogen has developed aresistance to the agent or if the agent is not applied properly. Inaddition, the antiseptic and antibacterial agents rinsed from theworker's hands may affect the water supply of down-stream users of thewater as the antiseptic or antibacterial agents may not be completelyremoved by water treatment facilities.

Hand washing can be more effective at removing these pathogens and mayalso be more environmentally friendly. To effectively remove pathogens,it is desirable for workers to scrub their hands for an extended periodin order to loosen the pathogens so that they may be removed by therinse water. Vigorous scrubbing between 15 and 30 seconds is usuallysufficient to loosen most or all contaminants. Anything less, manycontaminants could still be present on hands. In the materials thatfollow, the terms “worker” and “user” are used interchangeably toindicate a person washing her hands at a wash station according to aprotocol described herein.

An example system that ensures compliance with an effective hand-washingprotocol may monitor the presence of a worker's hands at a hand-washingstation and, optionally, may monitor hand motion to ensure that theworker's hands are sufficiently scrubbed. The example systems describedbelow employ a motion detector mounted on, or proximate to, ahand-washing station, such as a sink, to reliably detect vigoroushand-washing motion for a specific amount of time.

To ensure effective hand-washing, however, it may not be sufficient tomonitor only the presence of the hands in the sink and a scrubbingmotion over a desired washing interval. It is also desirable to ensurethat soap or other cleaning agent was applied to wet hands prior to ascrubbing operation and that the workers rinse and dry their handsbefore returning to work. In addition, a single hand washing operationmay not be sufficient to ensure cleanliness throughout an entire shift.To ensure cleanliness, it may be desirable for workers to periodicallywash or to wash after certain activities, such as using the toilet.

The example systems may identify the workers as they begin to wash theirhands and then monitor the hand-washing operation to ensure that it iseffective. Both complete and incomplete hand-washing operations arerecorded by the system and may be reported to a remote location toensure compliance with any mandated procedures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram, partly in perspective, of an examplehand-washing station including an example monitoring system. The stationincludes a sink 100 having a backsplash 101 and a faucet 102. The sinkalso includes an example motion sensor 104, mounted through the frontwall of the sink within a quarter of the front wall area extending downfrom the center of the top of the sink. Alternatively, the sensor 104may be mounted on the top of the sink. The example sensor has a field ofview into the sink, to detect a worker's hands located in the sink atpositions both below the faucet 102 to detect wetting of hands andrinsing—and in front of the faucet 102 to detect washing. The motionsensor may be, for example, a pyroelectric infra-red (PIR) sensor. It iscontemplated, however, that other types of sensors that can detect bothheat and motion, such as an infra-red (IR) sensor may be used.

Although the sensor is shown as being mounted through the front of thesink, it is contemplated that it may be mounted in other locations, suchas on top of the front of the sink, at the base of the faucet in back ofthe sink, or on or above the backsplash or on the wall behind the sink,as described below with reference to FIGS. 4C and 4D.

The sensor 104 provides signals indicating the presence or absence ofhands in its field of view and, optionally, the presence or absence ofscrubbing motion to a controller 106. The controller is also configuredto provide signals to a display 108, to transmit data to a remotelocation using an antenna 107, and to both provide signals to andreceive signals from a soap dispenser sensor 114 located near a soapdispenser 118. As shown in FIG. 1, the controller may also be coupled toa towel dispenser sensor 122, located near a towel dispenser 120, amicrophone 126, a speaker 128 and an optional screen-type display 121.These devices are shown in phantom as they are optional.

The controller may be a stand-alone device or, as described below withreference to FIGS. 11 and 12A-12D, may be integrated with one of thedevices at the hand washing station, for example, the soap dispenser.

As described above, the example motion sensor 104 is mounted through ahole in the front of the sink 100 and is configured to sense motion inthe sink and above the top of the sink but below the faucet. Althoughthe example in FIG. 1 shows the sensor mounted in the sink, it iscontemplated that, alternatively, the sensor 104 may be mounted on thetop of the front edge of the sink, facing the faucet, or on the top ofthe back edge of the sink, facing the front of the sink, as shown inphantom in FIG. 1. Example sensors 104 are described below withreference to FIGS. 4C and 4D.

PIR motion sensors are typically used to detect bodies moving through anarea. Such uses include automatic on-off light switches and securitysystem motion sensors. PIR sensors may also be used in automaticfaucets, soap dispensers and towel dispensers to dispense water, soapand towels after detecting the presence of a user's hands. Thesesensors, however, merely detect the presence of the hands by their IRheat signature and/or just detect motion. They do not detect a scrubbingmotion.

Although the embodiments described below concern the detection of boththe presence of the hands in the sink below and in front of the faucetoutlet and the detection of a scrubbing motion, it is contemplated thatthe system may be implemented using a PIR motion sensor that detects thepresence of the hands in the sink without detecting the scrubbingmotion. The duration of this detection, however, is the same as theduration of the scrubbing motion. This embodiment assumes that if theworker has her hands in the sink she is performing a scrubbingoperation.

The motion sensor 104, shown in FIG. 1 detects both the presence of thehands and the presence of the scrubbing motion. The sensor 104 has agreater range (e.g. up to 40 cm or up to 25 cm) than motion sensorscommonly used with automatic faucets and soap dispensers and a smallerrange than security system sensors, as it detects heat and motion in anarea below and/or in front of the faucet 102 and extending into the sink100. Sensors having this intermediate range may also detect extraneousmotion, such as a person walking past the front of the sink. This motionmay be detected because the sink 100 and back splash 101 are made fromstainless steel, which reflects IR radiation. The sensor 104 is adaptedto reliably sense scrubbing motion while ignoring extraneous motion.

Each item of the example system is described below with reference toFIGS. 2-6, and the operation of the example system is described belowwith reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B, and are shown in FIGS. 9A through 9E.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example sensor suitable for use as thesoap dispenser sensor 114 or towel dispenser sensor 122, shown inFIG. 1. The example sensor includes multiple motion sensors 202, alight-emitting diode (LED) 116 and an optional buzzer 204. The LED 116may be a single color LED or a multi-color LED (e.g. red, green andyellow). When the controller 106 determines that it is time for theworker to use the soap dispenser or towel dispenser, it sends a signalto illuminate the LED 116 (e.g. yellow). When the signal provided by themotion sensor 202 to the controller 106 indicates motion proximate tothe soap dispenser 114 or towel dispenser 120, the controller 106records the dispensing of soap or a towel and turns off the LED 116 orchanges the color of the LED, for example, to green. If no motion isdetected during a preset interval after the LED is illuminated, thecontroller may sound the buzzer 204 and may cause the LED to flashand/or change the color of the LED, for example, to red.

The motion sensors 202 may be short-range include short-range motionand/or IR sensors such as the TMD2772 or TMD2772WA Ambient Light Sensoravailable from AMS AG, Tobelbaderstrasse 30, 8141 Premstaetten. Austria,These sensors include a range finder and may be configured to detect thepresence of a hand within zero to five cm of the soap sensor 114 orwithin zero to 15 cm of the towel dispenser sensor 122. In oneimplementation, the soap dispenser sensor 114 may include one or twosensor elements while the towel dispenser sensor 122 may include betweenone and four sensor elements 202. The different numbers of sensorelements ensure coverage over the entire area beneath the respectivesensors.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a controller suitable for use as thecontroller 106, shown in FIG. 1. The example controller includes amicrocontroller 302, memory 304 and short-range transceiver 306. Themicrocontroller 302 may include one or more of a microcontroller, amicroprocessor and/or a digital signal processor (DSP). Alternatively orin addition, the controller 106 may include an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD),or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) programmed to perform thefunctions shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.

The short-range transceiver 306 may be, for example, a Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11transceiver, a Bluetooth® transceiver, a Zigbee IEEE 802.15 transceiveror a cellular transceiver. The transceiver 306 may establish a wirelessconnection to a remote computer that receives hand-washing reports fromthe controller 106. The remote computer may also perform some of thefunctions described as being performed by the controller, such as, forexample, voice recognition, facial recognition or palm recognition toidentify the worker and the generation of reminders for each worker formultiple hand-washing procedures during the shift. Although theshort-range transceiver 306 is shown as being wireless, it iscontemplated that it may be implemented as a wired connection. In thisinstance the transceiver 306 may be an Ethernet network adapter coupledto the a wired network connection. In this embodiment, the remotecomputer may also be connected to the network via a wired connection.

The controller 106 may also include an analog-to-digital converter 308that digitizes signals provided by the optional microphone 126. Thecontroller 106 may use these signals to perform a voice-recognitionoperation in order to identify the worker currently engaged in thehand-washing operation. Alternatively, the controller may digitize thesignals provided by the microphone and send them to the remote computerto perform the voice-recognition operation.

Although the embodiments described below employ a display device such asone of the devices 108 and 121 to prompt the worker to perform thesequence of steps, it is contemplated that the system may be implementedwith audio prompts provided by the optional speaker 128. The displaydevices such as 108 and 121 may be indicator lights, such as lightemitting diodes or the like. When the speaker is used, the controllermay generate digital audio signals, convert these signals to analogsignals, using a digital to analog converter (DAC) 310, and send theanalog signal to the speaker 128.

FIGS. 4A-4D show example wash sensors that may be used to detect thepresence of a worker's hands near, or, more specifically, in or above,the sink and to detect scrubbing motion when the hands are present. Thewash sensor 104 includes a motion sensor 402, optional Fresnel lens 404and optional sleeve 406. As shown in FIG. 4A, the wash sensor 104 isconfigured to be mounted in the front wall of the sink, pointing at anarea near, such as in or above, the sink and below the faucet 102.Although the embodiment describes using a diffractive Fresnel lens, itis contemplated that a refractive lens may be used in place of theFresnel lens. The lens 404 focuses the IR radiation emitted by theworker's hands onto the pyroelectric sensor elements of the examplemotion sensor 402. The example motion sensor includes two pyroelectricelements horizontally spaced apart from each other. The motion of thescrubbing hands causes different levels of IR radiation to be focused onthe different elements at different times. The wash sensor is configuredto provide the amplified difference between the signals produced by thetwo sensors as the output signal. Thus, the detected scrubbing motionproduces a time-varying output signal from the wash sensor 104.

The motion sensor 402 may be, for example, the DP-003B, digitalpyroelectric motion detector, described above, and the Fresnel lens 404may be, for example, a FL35 Fresnel dome lens, which is available fromGlolab Corp. Wappingers Falls N.Y. Alternatively, the sensor 404 may bethe TMD2772 or TMD2772WA Ambient Light Sensor described above and/or thelens 404 may be a refractive lens having properties similar to theFresnel lens. The optional sleeve 406 reduces the field of view of thesensor 402 to remove extraneous IR signals, such as a person walkingpast the sink. When the TMD2772 or TMD2772WA sensors are used, theFresnel lens and sleeve may not be needed. As an alternative to usingthe sleeve, it is contemplated that a portion of the front of theFresnel lens 404 may be covered, for example, with a painted ring sothat only the center of the lens is exposed to light. This ring, may,for example, cover up to 40% of the lens surface.

The TMD2772 and TMD2772WA sensors each includes both an IR LED and twophotodiodes, one sensitive to IR and the other sensitive to both IR andvisible light. The IR LED and the IR photodiode are configured to limitthe range in which the other photodiode detects IR or visible light.This range may be preset or may be automatically set, using softwarerunning on the controller 106, to the distance between sensor and thefront or back of the wash station sink when the sensor is mounted on theback or front of the sink, respectively. Example ranges are less than 40cm and less than 25 cm depending on the positioning of the sensor andthe size of the wash sink. In this configuration, the sensor will notdetect spurious IR radiation from outside the sink. The proximitydetection includes a proximity offset register to compensate the opticalsystem for crosstalk between the IR LED and the photosensors.Furthermore, to reduce false proximity measurement readings, the sensorincludes a proximity saturation bit signal that may be used to indicatethat the internal analog circuitry has reached saturation.

Each of the sensors may include filters that detect only a range of IRwavelengths emitted by human skin. These wavelengths may be, forexample, between 8 μm and 11 μm.

FIG. 4B is a block diagram of a different wash sensor 104′. Although thesensor 104′ is shown without the sleeve 406, it may be structurally thesame as the sensor 104 shown in FIG. 4A. Sensor 104′ differs from sensor104 in that it is mounted at an upward angle in the front wall of thesink. This upward angle may cause the center of the field of view of themotion sensor 402 to be located above the sink but below the faucet,where workers are most likely to position their hands during a washingoperation.

FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate other possible wash sensors 104″. Thesesensors may be identical to the sensors 104 and 104′ shown in FIGS. 4Aand 4B except that they are mounted on top of the sink at an angle suchthat the center of the field of view of the sensor 104″ is below theoutlet of the faucet 102′ but above the top of the sink 100, as shown inFIG. 4D. This sensor may detect scrubbing motion in an angular rangeindicated by the dashed lines 406. FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate placementof the sensor on the top of the front rim of the sink, it does not showa housing for the sensor. It is contemplated that the sensor, mounted inthis location may benefit from having a more robust housing thatprotects the sensor against inadvertent jolts.

As shown in FIG. 4D, it is contemplated that the sensor 104″ may bemounted on top of the back of the sink, for example, where the faucetmeets the sink. This sensor may be mounted to sense motion in an angularrange indicated by the lines 408 having alternating dashes and dots.

Although the described embodiments show the sensor as being mounted tothe sink, it is contemplated that it may be mounted on the backsplash101 either under the faucet or on a corner of the sink. Alternatively,the sensor 104 may be mounted on the wall behind the backsplash. Thefield of view of the sensor is near the sink, desirably below and/or infront of the faucet outlet and in or above the sink.

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6 illustrate two example displays that may be used withthe system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5A shows a simple two-LED display 108that is shown in the system of FIG. 1. This display includes a wash LED112 and a rinse LED 110 and an optional buzzer 510. As described above,the LEDs 110 and 112 may be single-color or multi-color LEDs. Each ofthese LEDs and the optional buzzer 510 is controlled by the controller106. The controller 106 lights the wash LED to prompt the workers toscrub their hands vigorously. This LED remains lighted for anappropriate amount of time, 10 to 30 seconds, 15 to 25 seconds or 20seconds for example, to ensure a proper hand-washing operation. Thecontroller 106 may include an internal timer (not shown) to count-downthis interval. If a scrubbing motion is not detected at any point duringthis interval, the controller 106 stops the timer and causes the washLED 112 to blink and/or change color (e.g. from yellow to red) and soundthe buzzer 510 until scrubbing is again detected. If scrubbing does notresume within a suitable pause period, for example 1 to 10 seconds, thecontroller 106 records the hand-washing operation as a failure andreports the failure to the remote computer. The controller may turn offthe wash LED 112 or change its color (e.g. from yellow to green) after asatisfactory hand-washing operation. The controller may then turn on therinse LED 110. The controller turns off rinse LED 110 (or changes itscolor from yellow to green) a few seconds after the worker's hands areagain detected by the wash sensor 104 as being under the faucet. If nomotion is detected during the rinse interval, the controller may causethe rinse LED 110 to blink and/or change its color (e.g. from yellow tored) and may sound the buzzer 510.

FIGS. 5B, 6A and 6B show a different type of display 121 that includes amulti-pixel display element 502 driven by a display driver 504 and theoptional buzzer 502. In the example of FIG. 5B, the display element 502may be an LED array that includes multiple rows of LEDs that may beeither single-color or multi-color. It is contemplated, however, thatthis display may use other display techniques such as liquid crystalelements, electroluminescent elements or electronic paper displayelements.

As shown at 602 of FIG. 6A, the controller 106 controls the display 121to prompt the worker to state her name. The controller then receivessignals from the microphone 126 to detect the name of the worker. Audiosignals detected by the microphone 126 are processed either by thecontroller 106 or by the remote computer (not shown) through a voicerecognition algorithm to determine the speech content of the audiosignals. In one embodiment, the microphone 126 may be replaced by amodular voice-recognition system, such as the SpeakUp speech recognitionClick™ board available from MikroElectronica D.O.O. Batajnički drum 2311186 Zemun, Belgrade, Serbia. This system, which includes a microphone,a microcontroller and a memory, is designed to recognize worker namesthat have been previously input to the system by each worker stating hisor her name.

Alternatively, as described below with reference to FIGS. 11 and12A-12D, the system may identify the worker by recognizing her face asshe stands at the wash station or by recognizing her palm as she reachesfor soap from the soap dispenser 118. The system may, for example, usefacial recognition software such as the Verilook Mega Matcher systemavailable from Neurotechnology, Vilnius, Lithuania. The palm recognitionsystem may use a version of the Verilook system modified to recognizeimages of hands. Multiple recognition systems may be combined to ensureproper identification. Any or all of the systems may be implemented inthe controller 106 or in the remote computer (not shown).

After the worker has been identified, the pixel array 502 displays aleft arrow 604 to prompt the worker to take soap from the soap dispenser118. The soap dispenser sensor 114 may or may not include the LED 116.If the sensor 114 includes the LED 116, the controller may light the LEDat the same time that the left arrow 604 is displayed. When the worker'shand is detected near the soap dispenser by the sensor 114, the displayprovided by the pixel array may change to a down arrow 606 to prompt theworker to scrub her hands. Once scrubbing motion is detected, thecontroller 106 and display driver 504 cause the display to count downthe scrubbing time.

As described above, the PIR sensor 402 provides a signal indicatingchanges in ambient IR signals detected by the sensor. This signal may befiltered by the controller 106, or the controller 106 may transmit thesignals to the remote computer (not shown) and the signals may befiltered there, to detect changes in the signal that are consistent witha hand-washing operation. For example, the signal may be filtered toremove any frequencies less than 0.01 Hz and greater than 1 Hz. It iscontemplated that smaller or larger ranges may be used.

In this example, the scrubbing time is set to 20 seconds as shown byelement 608 of FIG. 6A. As described above, with reference to thedisplay 108, if an interruption in the scrubbing motion is detected, thedisplay blinks at its current setting and may change color (e.g. fromyellow to red) and sound the buzzer 510 until the scrubbing motion isdetected again. Also, if the interruption in the scrubbing motion isexceeds a specified range, an error indicator (not shown) may bedisplayed, and the failed hand-washing for the identified worker isreported to a remote computer. If the controller 106 detects thescrubbing motion throughout the prescribed scrubbing time (e.g., 20seconds) in block 610, it causes the pixel array 502 to display “OK” orsome such affirmative indication, optionally in green. After thescrubbing operation is complete, the controller 106 may cause the pixelarray 502 to again display the down arrow, prompting the worker to rinseher hands. These same durations apply whether the sensor detects thepresence of the hands in the sink and/or the scrubbing motion.

FIG. 6B shows an alternative multi-LED display. This display may includean array of LEDs or three LEDs. In this display, the top LED 620 is redand lights-up to prompt the worker to apply soap. It stays lighted for10 seconds or until motion is detected at the soap dispenser. If nomotion is detected within 10 seconds, the LED 620 flashes on and off andthe buzzer 520 sounds. Once soap is applied, the yellow wash LED 622lights-up. This LED stays lighted for 20 seconds as long as scrubbingmotion is detected by the sensor 104, 104′ or 104″. If there is a breakin the scrubbing motion for a prescribed period, LED 622 flashes on andoff and the buzzer 520 sounds until the scrubbing motion is againdetected. After a successful scrubbing operation, the LED 624 lights-upto prompt the user to rinse.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram, partly in perspective, of a sink in a foodpreparation establishment that includes a second example of ahand-washing monitoring system. The example of the hand-washingmonitoring system is used in a similar food preparation environment asthe station in FIG. 1. For example, the sink 1000, the backsplash 1001and a faucet 1002 are similar to the sink 100 in FIG. 1, except that thesink 1000 of FIG. 7A does not include the motion sensor 104.

In contrast to the system of FIG. 1, the hand-washing monitor 1060contains at least one proximity sensor 1142 and/or 1144, indicatorlights 1111, 1112, 1113, 1115 and 1117 of the display 1110, controller1066, and motion detector elements 1261 and 1262 within a housing 1062.For example, the hand-washing (H-W) monitor 1060 is mountable to a wall1040 or other surface of a food preparation area using Velcro®, screws,nails, hooks, tape, adhesives or other mounting devices or methods.

The hand-washing monitor 1060 may include: a housing 1062; a motiondetector 1260; at least one proximity sensor, such as 1142, 1144 orboth; a display 1110; and a controller 1066. The housing 1062 may, forexample, contain the controller 1066, the first and second proximitysensors 1142 and 1144, the motion detector 1260 and the display device1110.

The display device 1110 includes the indicator lights 1111 (e.g.,“Re-Wash”), 1112 (e.g., “wet hands first”), 1113 (e.g., “Apply Soap”),1115 (e.g., “Wash Hands”), 1117 (e.g., “Rinse Hands”) and 1119 (e.g., apositive message, such as “Great Job” or the like) that are controlledby controller 1066 to prompt a user in the performance of a properhand-washing sequence and technique. The indicator lights 1112, 1113,1115 and 1117 may be used to prompt a user in the hand-washing sequenceand technique. For example, the “wet hands first” indicator 1112 maylight and remain lit until hands are detected in a detection area. Whenthe proper hand washing sequence ends, the indicator light 1112 maylight again and remain lit until another hand washing sequence begins.While indicator light 1111 may indicate to the user that thehand-washing sequence and/or technique was unsuccessful, indicator light1119 may provide positive reinforcement to the user by indicating to theuser the hand-washing technique and followed the hand-washing sequencewere successfully performed. The indicator lights 1111, 1112, 1113,1115, 1117, and 1119 may be similar colors, different colors ormulti-colored LEDs.

The motion detector 1260 may include an emitter such as 1261 and areceiver such as 1262. The emitter 1261 may be located on a first sideof the faucet 1002, and the receiver 1262 may be located on a secondside of the faucet 1002 (opposite the emitter 1261). The emitter 1261 isconfigured to emit infrared light toward an area, such as hand detectionarea 1220 of FIG. 7B in front of the faucet where the hand scrubbingmotion is to take place. The emitter 1261 is configured to emit aninfrared light beam toward the hand detection area 1220, which is in thefield of view of the receiver 1262. For example, the motion detector1260 is configured to detect, based on the reflections of the infraredlight emitted by the emitter, from hands and/or a scrubbing motion inthe detection area 1220 of FIG. 7B. For example, when the motiondetector 1260 is centered over the centerline of the faucet 1002, theemitter 1261 is approximately a horizontal distance X from thecenterline of the faucet 1002 and the receiver 1262 is alsoapproximately a horizontal distance X from the centerline of the faucet1002. With the emitter 1261 and the receiver 1262 aligned as describedabove, the infrared light emitted by the emitter 1261 is directed intothe field of view of the receiver 1262 such that any reflections from anobject, such as a hand, are detectable by the receiver 1262. Thereceiver 1262 is configured to detect infrared light reflections fromthe hand detection area, and generate signals indicative of a scrubbingmotion in the hand detection area.

The receiver 1262 may be positioned to detect infrared signalsindicative of persistent and/or continuous scrubbing motion that occursin the area (e.g., 1220 of FIG. 7B) in front of the faucet 1002. In moredetail, the receiver 1262 is configured to detect reflections of theinfrared beam emitted by the emitter 1261 that are indicative of theheat and motion due to in the hand detection area, such as 1220. Ascrubbing motion by a user may result in reflections of the infraredbeam indicative of heat and motion. The relationship between the emitter1261 and the receiver 1262 may be summarized such that the infrared beamoutput from the emitter 1261 intersects an area that is observed by thereceiver 1261.

The motion detector 1260 generates signals indicating the presence orabsence of a user's hands performing scrubbing motion that are providedto the controller 1066 of the hand-washing monitor 1060. The controller1066 may be configured similar to the example of controller 106 as shownin FIG. 3. The controller 1066 also may perform functions similar tothose performed by the controller 106. For example, the controller 1066may include a processor that is coupled to a memory. The memory maystore program instructions that when executed by the processor configurethe controller 1066 to perform functions. In an example, the controller1066 monitors the motion detector 1260 for signals indicative of thescrubbing motion during a predetermined scrubbing interval (as describedwith respect to other examples) in the hand detection area. Thecontroller 1066 provides a first output signal when the scrubbing motionis detected during the entire predetermined scrubbing interval. Thefirst output signal may be to one or more of the indicator lights1111-1119 of the display device 1110.

The controller 1066 is also coupled to provide signals to a display1110, to a transceiver that transmits data to a remote location using anantenna 1070, and to receive signals from the at least one proximitysensor 1142 located, for example, near a soap dispenser 1180. As shownin FIG. 7A, the hand-washing monitor 1060 may also be coupled to: atowel dispenser sensor 122 located near a towel dispenser 120, anoptional microphone 126, an optional speaker 128, and an optionalscreen-type display 1210. The proximity sensor 1144 may be in proximityto an optional hand sanitizer dispenser 1190. These devices are shown inphantom as they are optional.

The hand-washing monitor 1060 may be mounted to the wall 1040approximately 12 inches above the sink deck 1224 of sink 100A as shownthe example of FIG. 7B. FIG. 7B also shows examples of the arrangementof the hand-washing monitor with respect to a sink and faucet. Forexample, the minimum sink length from the wall to the front edge of thesink may be approximately 14 inches, the maximum sink length from thewall to the front edge of the sink may be approximately 14 inches, and aperson may be detected outside the front edge of the sink up toapproximately 8 inches. The hand detection area 1220 is approximately 12inches in diameter and may centered on the faucet 1002 centerline, is aminimum of approximately 12 inches in the vertical direction from thesink deck 1224 (e.g., in the direction extending out of the page towarda viewer), and may be a minimum of 6 inches from the outside edge 1201of the sink 1200 into the sink 1200.

As described below, the controller 106 of FIG. 1 controls the display108, soap dispenser 118, and sensor 104 to implement a prompt to aworker to perform a sequence of steps and monitor the performance ofthose steps to implement a hand-washing operation. Examples ofhand-washing operations are shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, 9A, and 9B.

At block 702 of FIG. 8A, the process begins when the controller 106detects hands in the sink 100 using one of the motion sensors 104, 104′or 104″. To ensure that the detection is not a spurious event, thecontroller, at block 704, may monitor the motion sensor for presence ofthe hands for a dwell time, for example, of 1 to 3 seconds, 0.5 to 5seconds, 0.5 to 2.5 seconds or the like. This block may not be needed ifthe motion sensor includes a range finder, as described above. Once thedwell timer has expired, control transfers to block 706 in which thecontroller, using the optional display 121 or the speaker 128 may promptthe worker to provide identifying information. In a more specificexample, the worker may state her name, which is received, for example,via the microphone 126 of FIG. 1, and recognized by the controller 106or by the remote computer, running a voice-recognition algorithm. It iscontemplated, however, that other types of biometric identification maybe used, such as fingerprint detection, facial detection, facialrecognition, palm recognition, iris recognition or retina scan.Alternatively non-biometric methods may be used, such as having workerstouch their names on an input device (not shown) to initiate thehand-washing operation.

When the worker is identified at block 708, the controller 106, at block710, sets a timer that allows the worker an amount of time to wet herhands and apply soap. Next, at block 712, the controller lights the LED116 or displays the left arrow on the display 121 to prompt the workerto apply soap. At block 714, the controller 106 determines whether themotion sensor 114 has detected the presence of a hand at the soapdispenser 118. If the hand is not detected, block 715 determines whetherthe soap timer has expired. If it has, control transfers to block 734 torecord and report a failed hand-washing operation for the identifiedworker and to prompt the worker to repeat the procedure. If, at block715, the soap timer has not expired, the controller repeats blocks 712and 714 until the application of soap is detected.

To determine whether the worker has wet her hands before applying soap,the system may begin to monitor the scrubbing sensor as soon as theworker is detected at the wash station. Alternatively, if the faucet 102is a touchless faucet, the system may interface with the detector in thefaucet to determine if the faucet dispensed water immediately before theworker applied soap.

Next, at block 716, the controller 106 sets the wash timer and promptsthe worker to scrub her hands. At block 718 the controller checks thesignal from the motion sensor 104, 104′ or 104″ to determine whether theworker is scrubbing her hands. If no motion is detected, block 719determines whether the wash timer has expired. If it has, the controller106 records and reports a failed hand-washing operation for the workerat block 734. If the wash timer has not expired, the controller 106repeats block 718 until motion is detected or the timer expires.

When motion is detected blocks 720 and 722 continually monitor themotion detector 104, 104′ or 104″ to detect intervals in which thescrubbing motion is interrupted. If the scrubbing motion is detecteduntil the wash timer expires, the system, at block 724, prompts theworker to rinse and dry her hands, and reports a successful hand-washingoperation for the identified worker.

If an interruption or gap is detected, block 726 pauses the wash timer,sets an interruption or gap timer that determines the length of anacceptable interruption (e.g. less than one second, or 2 to 10 seconds)and causes the wash display to flash. The length of the acceptableinterruption may also be referred to as a predetermined gap interval.The predetermined gap interval may be similar to the length of theacceptable interruption. Next block 728 determines whether scrubbing hasresumed and, if it has, the wash timer is restarted at block 730 andblocks 720 and 722 are repeated until the timer expires without anyunacceptable interruptions, or gaps in the hand-washing sequence.

If, at block 728, scrubbing motion is not detected, block 732 determineswhether the interruption timer has expired. If it has, a failedhand-washing operation is recorded and reported at block 734. If theinterruption timer has not expired at block 732, blocks 728 and 732 areexecuted until the timer expires or scrubbing resumes.

In the method described with reference to FIG. 8A, the controller 106monitors only the washing operation. It does not determine whether theworker has rinsed and dried her hands. A system that monitors therinsing and drying operation replaces block 724 of FIG. 8A with theflow-chart shown in FIG. 8B. In this system, when a successful washingoperation is detected, the controller 106 executes block 750 thatprompts the worker to rinse and sets a rinse timer. At block 752, thecontroller 106 then determines whether a scrubbing motion consistentwith the worker rinsing her hands is detected by the motion sensor 104,104′ or 104″. If no scrubbing motion is detected, the controller repeatsblocks 752 and 760 until the rinsing motion is detected or the timerexpires.

Once the rinsing motion is detected, the controller 106 prompts the userto dry her hands and sets a dry timer. This prompt may involvedisplaying a prompt, such as the word “DRY” (not shown) on the display121 or it may involve lighting the LED 124 in the towel dispenser sensor122. At block 756, the controller 106 then determines whether motion isdetected by the towel dispenser sensor 122. If no motion is detected,the controller repeats blocks 756 and 764 until the rinsing motion isdetected or the timer expires. When motion is detected by the toweldispenser sensor 122, the controller records and reports a successfulhand-washing operation at block 758.

Although the example system is described as using a towel dispenser, itis contemplated that a blow dryer (not shown) or other non-contactdrying system may be used instead. In this example system, the motionsensor of the blow dryer may be monitored to ensure that the worker'shands are sufficiently dry. Alternatively, the microphone 126 may listenfor the audio signature of the blow dryer to ensure that it is used fora sufficient amount of time to dry the worker's hands.

If, at block 760 or 764, no motion is detected when the timer expires,the system records and reports a failed hand-washing operation at block762. It is contemplated, however, that at block 762, rather thanreporting a failed hand-washing operation, the controller may record andreport the washing operation as being successful but report a failedrinsing or drying operation, as appropriate.

As described above, the employer may be required to ensure that itsworkers wash their hands several times during a shift and/or immediatelyafter an event, such as using the toilet or returning from a break. Inone embodiment, the schedule for each worker may be maintained by thecontroller 106. In another embodiment, it may be maintained by theremote computer and the controller may be notified when a particularworker is due for a hand-washing procedure. Upon receiving thisnotification, the controller 106 may display information about theparticular worker, for example, her name or employee ID number on thedisplay 121, or, alternatively, may announce the name of the employeeusing the optional speaker 128. It is contemplated that the controller106 may use other methods, such as a short-range radio transmission to aheadset or a text message to the worker's mobile device to remind theworker that the washing operation is due.

FIG. 9A is a flow-chart diagram that shows a sequence of operations whenthe worker wets her hands before applying soap and FIG. 9B shows asimilar sequence of operations when the worker does not wet her handsbefore applying soap. These flow-charts describe a system that uses theoptional buzzer 510 in the display 108 or 121 and that uses multi-colorLEDs in the displays and, optionally, in the soap and towel dispensersensors. These flow-charts are self-explanatory. FIGS. 9C, 9D and 9Eshow an alternative sequence of operations to implement a hand washingprotocol.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are flow-chart diagrams that are useful for describingthe operation of the examples of a hand-washing monitor such as thoseshown in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

As described below, the controller 1066 of FIG. 7A controls the display1110, proximity sensor 1044 and the motion detector 1260 to implement aprompt to a worker to perform a hand-washing sequence, and to monitorthe adherence of the worker to the hand-washing sequence or protocol.

At block 1702 of FIG. 10, the process begins when the controller 1066detects hands in the sink 1000 using one of the motion detector 1260. Toensure that the detection is not a spurious event, the controller 1066,at block 1704, may monitor the motion detector 1260 for the presence ofthe hands for a dwell time, for example, of 1 to 3 seconds, 0.5 to 5seconds, 0.5 to 4 seconds or the like. Once the dwell timer has expired,the process 1700 optionally transfers to block 1706 in which thecontroller 1066, using the optional display 1210 or the speaker 1280,prompts the worker to provide identifying information. In a moreparticular example, the worker may state her name, which is received,for example, via the microphone 1260 of FIG. 7A, and recognized by thecontroller 1066, or by a remote computer, running a voice-recognitionalgorithm. It is contemplated, however, that other types of biometricidentification may be used, such as fingerprint detection, facialdetection, iris recognition, or retinal scan. Alternativelynon-biometric methods may be used, such as having workers touch theirnames on an input device (not shown) to initiate the hand-washingoperation, swiping a badge near a radio frequency identification (RFID)device, or the like.

When the worker is identified at optional block 1708, the controller1066, at block 1710, sets a soap timer that allows the worker an amountof time to apply soap. Next, at block 1712, the controller lights theLED 1113 or displays, for example, a right arrow on the display 1210 toprompt the worker to apply soap. At block 1714, the controller 1066determines whether the proximity sensor 1144 has detected the presenceof a hand in the proximity of the soap dispenser 1180. If the hand isnot detected, block 1715 determines whether the soap timer has expired.If it has, control transfers to block 1734 to record and report a failedhand-washing operation for the identified worker. If, at block 1715, thesoap timer has not expired, the controller repeats blocks 1712 and 1714until the application of soap is detected.

Next, at block 1716, the controller 1066 sets the wash timer and promptsthe worker to scrub her hands. At block 1718 the controller checks thesignal from the motion 1260 to determine whether the worker is scrubbingher hands. If no motion is detected, block 1719 determines whether thewash timer has expired. If it has, the controller 1066 records andreports a failed hand-washing operation for the worker at block 1734. Ifthe wash timer has not expired, the controller 1066 repeats block 1718until motion is detected or the timer expires.

When motion is detected blocks 1720 and 1722 continually monitor themotion detector 1260 to detect intervals in which the scrubbing motionis interrupted. If the scrubbing motion is detected until the wash timerexpires, the system, at block 1724, prompts the worker to rinse and dryher hands and reports a successful hand-washing operation for theidentified worker.

If an interruption, or gap, is detected, block 1726 pauses the washtimer, sets an interruption or gap timer that determines the length ofan acceptable interruption (e.g. less than one second, 2 to 10 seconds,or the like) and causes the wash display to flash. The length of theacceptable interruption may also be referred to as a predetermined gapinterval. The predetermined gap interval may be similar to the length ofthe acceptable interruption. Next block 1728 determines whetherscrubbing has resumed and, if it has, the wash timer is restarted atblock 1730 and blocks 1720 and 1722 are repeated until the timer expireswithout any unacceptable interruptions, or gaps in the hand-washingsequence.

If, at block 1728, scrubbing motion is not detected, block 1732determines whether the interruption timer has expired. If it has, afailed hand-washing operation is recorded and reported at block 1734. Ifthe interruption timer has not expired at block 1732, blocks 1728 and1732 are executed until the timer expires or scrubbing resumes.

In the method described with reference to FIG. 10, the controller 1066monitors only the washing operation. It does not determine whether theworker has rinsed and dried her hands. A system that monitors therinsing and drying operation replaces block 1724 of FIG. 10A with theflow-chart shown in FIG. 10B, which was described above. In this system,when a successful washing operation is detected, the controller 1066executes block 1750 that prompts the worker to rinse and sets a rinsetimer. At block 1752, the controller 1066 then determines whether ascrubbing motion consistent with the worker rinsing her hands isdetected by the motion sensor 1260. If no scrubbing motion is detected,the controller repeats blocks 1752 and 1760 until the rinsing motion isdetected or the timer expires. At which time, a positive message (e.g.,“good job”) indicator light, such as 1119 of FIG. 7A may be illuminatedto provide positive feedback to the user.

Once the rinsing motion is detected, the controller 1066 prompts theuser to dry her hands and sets a dry timer. This prompt may involvedisplaying a prompt, such as the word “DRY” (not shown) on the display1210, or it may involve lighting an LED (not shown in this example) inthe towel dispenser sensor 1220. At block 1756, the controller 1066 thendetermines whether motion is detected by the towel dispenser sensor1220. If no motion is detected, the controller repeats blocks 1756 and1764 until the rinsing motion is detected or the timer expires. Whenmotion is detected by the towel dispenser sensor 1220, the controllerrecords and reports a successful hand-washing operation at block 1758.

If, at block 1760 or 1764, no motion is detected when the timer expires,the system records and reports a failed hand-washing operation at block1762. It is contemplated, however, that at block 1762, rather thanreporting a failed hand-washing operation, the controller 1066 mayrecord and report the washing operation as being successful but report afailed rinsing or drying operation, as appropriate.

FIGS. 11 and 12A-12D describe an alternate system in which most of thehardware is integrated into the soap dispenser. As shown in FIG. 11, thealternative soap dispenser 106′ includes the controller and display. Inthis embodiment, the controller is mounted on the front panel of thesoap dispenser and is coupled to receive operational power using a powersupply that also powers the soap dispenser from the electrical wiring ofthe facility. The example system shown in FIG. 11 employs a touchlessfaucet 102′. As described below with reference to FIGS. 12A-12D, thescrubbing sensor 104′″, microphone 126 and speaker 128 as well as one ormore cameras 1012 and 1010 for performing facial recognition or palmrecognition are also incorporated in the control unit integrated withthe soap dispenser. Although FIGS. 11 and 12A-12D show the scrubbingsensor 104′″ mounted on the soap dispenser, it is contemplated that itmay be mounted on the sink, as described above. In this implementation,the sensor 104′″ may communicate with the controller 106′ by a wired orwireless communication link.

FIG. 12A shows a front plan view of an example control unit 106′integrated with the soap dispenser 118′. The example control unitincludes a display 121′, a speaker 128′ and two cameras, 110 and 1012.The camera 1010 is configured to capture an image of the worker's handas she obtains soap from the soap dispenser 118′ and the camera 1012 isconfigured to obtain facial images of the worker for a facialrecognition algorithm. FIG. 12A also shows example locations for thescrubbing sensor 104′″ and soap dispensing valve 1014. The exampledispenser 118′ is motion-activated. Thus, rather than having a separatemotion sensor 114, as shown in FIG. 1, the example system shown in FIG.11 uses signals from the motion sensor that causes the dispenser 118′ todispense soap.

As shown in FIG. 11, the example system includes a towel dispenser 120having a sensor 122. The controller 106′ may include a wired connection(not shown) to the sensor 122 or may use a wireless connection. If thecontroller uses a wireless connection, communication with the toweldispenser sensor 122 may be through the antenna 1016 coupled to thecontroller 106′ and the optional antenna 910 coupled to the toweldispenser sensor 122′. When a wireless connection is used, both thetowel dispenser sensor 122′ and the controller 106′ may include ashort-range communication device such as a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC,infrared or ultrasonic transceiver.

FIG. 12B shows a side-plan view of the control unit 106′ and soapdispenser. As shown in FIG. 12B, the control unit 106′ is mounted on acover plate 1019 of the soap dispenser 118′. The cover plate 1019 isattached to the main body of the dispenser 118′ by a hinge 1018. Thehinge is configured to allow the cover plate 1019 to be rotatedclockwise so that the soap bag 1034 in the soap dispenser 118′ may bechanged.

The control unit is configured to receive operational power from thesoap dispenser 118′ via a flexible conduit 1017. The conduit 1017electrically connects the controller 106′ to the power supply (notshown) of the soap dispenser 118′. In one embodiment, the power supplyis connected to the electrical wiring of the building. Alternatively,the power supply of the soap dispenser may be a battery.

FIG. 12B also shows the field of view 1030 of the scrubbing sensor 104′″and the field of view 1032 of the palm recognition camera 1010. Thesecameras are configured with an angle of between 10 and 50 degrees, asappropriate depending on the geometries of the soap dispenser and sink.As shown, the field if view 1030 is sufficient to cover a volume in thesink in which the workers are likely to scrub their hands and the fieldof view 1032 is sufficient to capture an image of the worker's palm asshe uses the soap dispenser to obtain soap.

FIG. 12C shows an example bottom view of the soap dispenser 118′ andcontrol unit 106′. FIG. 12C shows an example configuration of the lensesof the palm recognition camera 1010 and scrubbing sensor 104′″. It alsoshows the configuration of the soap valve 1014 and soap dispenser motionsensor 1040. Although FIG. 12C shows the lenses of the camera 1010 andscrubbing sensor 104′″ as being recessed from the bottom of the housingof the control unit 106′, it is contemplated that lenses of the camera1010 and scrubbing sensor 104′″ may be mounted so that the lenses areflush with or extend below the bottom of the housing. Alternatively, oneof both of the camera 1010 and/or sensor 104′″ may be recessed from thefront of the housing to have a field of view extending from the front ofthe control unit housing. The sensor 104′″ and/or camera 1010 may alsobe flush with or extend from the front of the control unit housingrather than being recessed in the housing.

As shown in FIG. 12A, the display 121′ of the control unit 106′ promptsthe worker to apply soap, wash hands, rinse hands and restart. The firstthree steps are the same as shown in FIG. 6B and the system operates inthe same way to implement that part of the hand washing protocol. Thefourth step, “RESTART” is displayed when a failed hand washing operationis detected, for example, in step 734 of FIG. 8A, described above.

Alternatively, a display such as the display 121″ shown in FIG. 12D maybe used. This display may be used for example, in a protocol similar tothat shown in FIG. 9A in which the worker is prompted to wet her handsbefore applying soap. Using this protocol, when the worker is detectedat the wash station, the display 121″ lights up the “WET HANDS” promptand may also begin a recognition process, such as voice recognition orfacial recognition. The system monitors either the motion sensor of themotion-activated faucet 102′ or the scrubbing sensor 104′″ to detectmotion in the sink to determine whether the worker has wet her hands.Next, the system lights the “APPLY SOAP” prompt. As shown in FIG. 12B,when the worker reaches for the soap dispenser, the system may capturean image of the worker's palm using the camera 1010, This image may beused to identify the worker by comparing the image to stored images ofall of the workers. This identification step may be used in place of thevoice-recognition or facial-recognition processes or it may be used toconfirm the results of one or both of those processes.

After the worker applies soap, the algorithm proceeds as described abovewith reference to FIGS. 8B and 9A with the worker being prompted via the“RESTART” prompt to begin the hand washing protocol again if a failureis detected.

In an embodiment, the optional screen-type display 121 of FIG. 1 mayinclude a display screen 1300 as shown in FIG. 13 as a component of ahand-washing monitoring system embodiment that is communicativelycoupled to the controller 106. In FIG. 13, the display screen 1300 ispositioned behind the faucet 102 of the sink 100 to face a user andinteract with a smart button device 1302 worn by a user. The smartbutton device 1302 may interact with one or more components of themonitoring system installed on a sink 100 through use of wirelesscommunication, such as transmission of infrared data packets betweensensors installed in the smart button device 1302 and the monitoringsystem components. The controller 106 may be configured to track aparticular user's handwashing analytics, including length of ahandwashing, and provide alerts as needed based on this interaction withthe smart button device 1302. The smart button device 1302 may include alight display such as an LED display that is configured to change colorand/or light status (such as between solid or blinking) according toprogrammed system rules.

By way of example, and not as a limitation, at the beginning of aworkday, the smart button device 1302 may be turned on and may display astart color or negative indication color indicative of a need forhandwashing, such as a red color. The smart button device 1302 mayinclude a unique identifier and be associated with a particular usersuch that data analytics particular to a user may be tracked andanalyzed by the system. A user may wash his or her hands at a sink 100such that the smart button device 1302 interacts with the monitoringsystem installed on the sink 100 to confirm the handwashing and turn thesmart button a positive indication color to indicate a completehandwashing, such as green. In an example, when the monitoring systemdetects that a good, complete handwashing has been conducted, themonitoring system may be configured to light an LED associated with a“Good Wash” option on the display screen 1300 and transmit sounds waves1304 to the smart button device 1302 to turn the smart button device1302 worn by the user the positive indication color (such as green).

The display screen 1300 of FIG. 13 includes a plurality of options thatmay be displayed to a user through use of an associated indicator lightto instruct the user through the handwashing process and track useranalytics when interacting with the smart button device 1302. Forexample, the monitoring system may be configured to use the Internet ofThings and big data analytic systems to coach, enforce, verify, andreward proper handwashing by employees. A user wearing the smart buttondevice 1302 may approach the sink 100, and the display screen maydisplay a light associated with a “Wet Hands First” option until thesystem senses that the user has wet his or her hands as describedherein. A light associated with an “Apply Soap” option may then be lituntil the system senses that the user has applied soap as describedherein. Next, a light associated with a “Wash Hands” option is lit untilthe system senses that the user has washed his or her hands for apredetermined amount of time, such as through sensing a scrubbingmotion, to indicate a thorough washing. A light associated with a “RinseHands” option is then lit until the system senses that the user hasadequately rinsed his or her hands for a sufficient amount of time.After the Rinse Hands light turns off, and the handwashing has beencompletely appropriately, the light associated with the “Good Wash”feature will turn on to indicate a good handwashing. The system may theninteract with the smart button device 1302 to turn a light indicatorsuch as an LED associated with the device 1302 into a positiveindication color such as green, for example. The positive indicationcolor indicates that the user has completed a good handwashing, and thesystem is configured to record the analytics associated with thehandwashing as well as to non-compliant handwashing that are specific tothe user and the smart button device 1302.

After the light associated with the Good Wash feature turns on, the usermay stop the handwashing and dry or continue to wash his or her hands.If during the process the system detects non-compliance with thehandwashing process by the user, a light associated with a “Re-Wash”feature on the display screen 1300 may be turned on with a negativeindication color, such as red.

In embodiments, the smart button device 1302 may be configured to have athree foot detection range such that the smart button device 1302 mayinteract with the monitoring system installed on a sink 100 when a useris standing within three feet of the sink 100.

In an embodiment, users may be required to wash hands during a periodiccycle, such as once an hour. The smart button device 1302 may beconfigured to stay a positive indication color and light status such assolid green for 55 minutes of the hour, then be configured to blinkand/or turn an intermediate color such as yellow or amber for 10 minutesto allow a user to wash his or her hands, and then may be configured toturn to a negative indication color and light status of solid red if theuser does not complete a good handwashing. Upon turning to red, thesmart button device 1302 may be configured to send an automatic alert toa supervisor such that the employee may be instructed to wash his or herhands immediately.

In another embodiment, at the beginning of the workday, a user maylocate his or her smart button device 1302 at a charging station, wearand turn on the smart button device 1302, which may display a startingnegative indication color, such as red, and the employee is required tocomplete a “Good Wash” before the smart button device 1302 turns thepositive indication color (such as green). Electronic sensors of themonitoring system positioned at the sink 100 are configured to read thesmart button device 1302 within a three feet range and are configured tosense hands in the sink 100 and at the soap dispenser 118 as describedherein. After a “Good Wash” indication on the display screen 1300, thesmart button device 1302 may turn a solid positive indication color(such as green) for a predetermined amount of time, which may be, forexample, 50 minutes. After the predetermined amount of time, the smartbutton device 1302 may be configured to change light status from solidto blinking (green or another color) for a blinking period, such as for10 minutes, alerting the user that a “Good Wash” is needed within theblinking period (i.e., a predetermined action period). Upon the employeefailing to achieve this “Good Wash” in the blinking period, the smartbutton device 1302 may be configured to turn a solid negative indicationcolor (such as red) until a “Good Wash” is completed. Alerts may be sentout to supervisors and the like when the smart button device 1302displays the solid negative indication color such that the supervisormay take corrective action. Data analytics specific to the user may becollected as well to determine whether the user habitually fails toobtain a “Good Wash” or is a sanitary user actively engaged withfollowing proper handwashing procedures.

The smart button device 1302 may be rechargeable, utilize wirelesscharging technology, and be charged in a charging station. The chargingstation may be designed to house and recharge multiple smart buttondevices 1302 simultaneously. Placement of a smart button device 1302 inthe charging station may begin the charging cycle, and the smart buttondevice 1302 may be configured to indicate charging status through alight display. For example, a flashing red light may indicate that thesmart button device 1302 is currently charging. After a majority ofcharging occurs, the light color may be changed to indicate charging isnearing completion. For example, after about 80% charge completion, thesmart button device 1302 may be configured to change the light displaycolor such that, for example, a flashing amber light appears. A chargecompletion may be indicated by a light change to a positive indicationcolor, such as green. Thus, after 100% charge completion, the smartbutton device 1302 may be configured to display through an LED aflashing green light. Thus, the smart button device 1302 may beconfigured to indicate a respective status via a LED indicatorconfigured to change color and/or light status (such as either flashingor solid) during charging and use by the user. The smart button device1302 may transmit a charge status to the system when interacting withthe system at a sink 100, and the system may record the charge statusfor the particular smart button device 1302 as a data wash log entry.

Although the system and method are illustrated and described herein withreference to specific embodiments, neither the system nor the method isintended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, variousmodifications may be made in the details within the scope and range ofequivalents of the claims.

The term “coupled” as used herein refers to any logical, physical orelectrical connection, link or the like by which signals produced by onesystem element are imparted to another “coupled” element. Unlessdescribed otherwise, coupled elements or devices are not necessarilydirectly connected to one another and may be separated by intermediatecomponents, elements or communication media that may modify, manipulateor carry the signals.

It will be understood that the terms and expressions used herein havethe ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions withrespect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and studyexcept where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be usedsolely to distinguish one entity or action from another withoutnecessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or orderbetween such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,”“includes,” “including,” or any other variation thereof, are intended tocover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article,or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include onlythose elements but may include other elements not expressly listed orinherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An elementpreceded by “a” or “an” does not, without further constraints, precludethe existence of additional identical elements in the process, method,article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Unless otherwise stated, any and all measurements, values, ratings,positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are setforth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, areapproximate, not exact. They are intended to have a reasonable rangethat is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with whatis customary in the art to which they pertain.

What is claimed:
 1. A hand-washing monitoring system comprising: amotion detector mounted proximate a top surface of a sink and configuredto detect a scrubbing motion at a location near an outlet of a faucet ofthe sink; a smart button device configured to be worn by a user andinteract with the motion detector, the smart button device including alight indicator configured to at least one of change color and lightstatus; a processor coupled to the motion detector and the smart buttondevice; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory includingprogram instructions that when executed by the processor cause theprocessor to: monitor the motion detector for signals indicative of thescrubbing motion that is throughout a predetermined scrubbing interval;provide a first output signal when the scrubbing motion is continuouslydetected during the entire interval such that the first output signal isassociated with a positive detection determination; transmit the firstoutput signal to the smart button device; and set the light indicator ofthe smart button device to a positive indication color to indicate thepositive detection determination.
 2. The hand washing monitoring systemof claim 1, wherein the scrubbing interval is between 15 seconds and 40seconds.
 3. The hand washing monitoring system of claim 1, wherein: themotion detector includes a pyroelectric infrared (PIR) motion detectorthat is configured to detect the scrubbing motion by detecting changesin IR signals having frequencies consistent with the scrubbing motion.4. The hand washing monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the infraredmotion detector includes a Fresnel lens configured to have apredetermined field of view that encompasses an area beneath the faucetoutlet and extending into the sink.
 5. The hand washing monitoringsystem of claim 1 wherein the sink further comprises a faucet and theprogram instructions further cause the processor to monitor the motiondetector for signals indicative of an object moving under the faucetafter the predetermined scrubbing interval and before providing thefirst output signal.
 6. The hand washing monitoring system of claim 5further comprising: a proximity detector mounted proximate to a soapdispenser; wherein the program instructions when executed by theprocessor further cause the processor to monitor the proximity detectorfor signals indicative of application of soap to an object prior tomonitoring the motion detector for the signals indicative of thescrubbing motion.
 7. The hand washing monitoring system of claim 6,wherein the proximity detector mounted proximate to the soap dispenseris positioned farther away from the faucet than the motion detector. 8.The hand washing monitoring system of claim 6, further comprising: afurther proximity detector mounted proximate to a towel dispenser;wherein the program instructions when executed by the processor furthercause the processor to monitor the further proximity detector forsignals indicative of the dispensing of a towel, after monitoring themotion detector for the signals indicative of the object moving underthe faucet and before providing the first output signal.
 9. The handwashing monitoring system of claim 8, further comprising: at least onedisplay device coupled to the processor; wherein the programinstructions when executed by the processor further cause the processorto control the display device to: display a first prompt for a user toplace the user's hands under the soap dispenser before monitoringproximity detector; display a second prompt for the user to scrub theuser's hands in the sink before monitoring the proximity detector forthe signals indicative of the scrubbing motion; display a third promptfor the user to place the user's hands under the faucet beforemonitoring the motion detector for the signals indicative of the objectmoving under the faucet; and display a fourth prompt for the user totake a towel from the towel dispenser before monitoring the furtherproximity detector for signals indicative of the dispensing of thetowel.
 10. The hand washing monitoring system of claim 8, wherein theprogram instructions when executed by the processor further cause theprocessor to display an indication of a non-compliant hand washing suchthat a second output signal indicating a non-compliant hand washing issent to the smart button device to prevent the light indicator frombeing set to the positive indication color when: the processor does notdetect the signals indicative of the application of the soap to theobject after a first predetermined time following the display of thefirst prompt; the processor does not detect the signals indicative ofthe scrubbing motion after a second predetermined time following thedisplay of the second prompt; the processor does not detect the signalsindicative of the object moving under the faucet after a thirdpredetermined time following the third prompt; or the processor does notdetect the signals indicative of the dispensing of the towel after athird predetermined time following the display of the fourth prompt. 11.The hand washing monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the programinstructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to:provide a second output signal, different from the first output signal,when the signals provided by the motion detector do not indicate ascrubbing motion throughout the predetermined scrubbing interval suchthat the second output signal is associated with a negative detectiondetermination; transmit the second output signal to the smart buttondevice; and set the light indicator of the smart button device to anegative indication color to indicate the negative detectiondetermination, wherein the positive indication color is green and thenegative indication color is red.
 12. The hand washing monitoring systemof claim 1, wherein the program instructions when executed by theprocessor cause the processor to delay the detection of the scrubbingmotion for a predetermined dwell interval following detection of motionby the motion detector.
 13. The hand washing monitoring system of claim12, wherein the predetermined dwell interval is between 0.5 seconds and5 seconds.
 14. The hand washing monitoring system of claim 1, whereinthe program instructions when executed by the processor cause theprocessor to detect the scrubbing motion when no gaps greater than apredetermined gap interval are detected during the scrubbing interval.15. The hand washing monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the gapinterval is less than one second.
 16. The hand washing monitoring systemof claim 1, wherein the smart button device is associated with a uniqueidentifier, the positive indication color is green, a positive solidlight status is associated with the positive indication color, and thesmart button device is configured to change from green to anintermediate mode comprising at least one of a negative blinking lightstatus and an alert indication color of yellow or amber after apredetermined periodic cycle based on the first output signal not beingtransmitted during the predetermined periodic cycle.
 17. Thehand-washing monitoring system of claim 16, wherein the smart buttondevice is configured to change from the intermediate mode to a negativesolid light status and a negative indication color of red after apredetermined action period based on the first output signal not beingtransmitted during the predetermined action period.
 18. The hand-washingmonitoring system of claim 1, wherein the motion detector is mounted tothe top of the sink.
 19. The hand-washing monitoring system of claim 18,wherein the motion detector includes a rangefinder and is mounted on topof a back edge of the sink, proximate to the faucet.
 20. Thehand-washing monitoring system of claim 18, wherein the motion detectoris mounted on top of a front edge of the sink at an angle such that acenter of a field of view of the sensor is above the top of the sink andbelow the outlet of the faucet.
 21. The hand-washing monitoring systemof claim 1, wherein the motion detector is mounted through the frontwall of the sink.
 22. The hand-washing monitoring system of claim 1,wherein program instructions when executed by the processor furthercause the processor to periodically prompt a user to perform ahand-washing operation through changing the smart button device to anintermediate mode comprising at least one of a negative blinking lightstatus and an alert indication color of yellow or amber after apredetermined periodic cycle based on the first output signal not beingtransmitted during the predetermined periodic cycle.
 23. The handwashing monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the motion detectorcomprises: an emitter located on a first side of the faucet, the emitteroriented to emit infrared light toward an area in front of the faucetwhere the scrubbing motion is to take place; and a receiver located on asecond side of the faucet and positioned to detect infrared signalsindicative of the scrubbing motion throughout the interval that occursin the area in front of the faucet.
 24. The hand washing monitoringsystem of claim 23, wherein: the emitter is configured to emit aninfrared light beam to an area in the field of view of the receiver; andthe receiver is configured to detect in the field of view reflections ofthe infrared light beam emitted by the emitter that are indicative ofheat and motion of the scrubbing motion throughout the interval in thereceiver's field of view.
 25. The hand washing monitoring system ofclaim 24, wherein the infrared light output from the emitter ismodulated to be uniquely detected by the detector.
 26. A hand-washingmonitoring system for use with a sink having a faucet and a soapdispenser comprising: a motion detector mounted to the sink andconfigured to detect a scrubbing motion near an outlet of the faucet; aproximity detector mounted proximate to the soap dispenser andconfigured to detect application of soap to an object; a smart buttondevice configured to be worn by a user and interact with the motiondetector and the proximity detector, the smart button device including alight indicator configured to at least one of change color and lightstatus; one or more display devices; a processor coupled to the motiondetector, the proximity detector, the smart button device, and the oneor more display devices; and a memory coupled to the processor, thememory including program instructions that cause the processor to:display, using one of the one or more display devices, a first prompt toplace hands under the faucet; monitor the motion detector for signalsindicative of the presence of the hands beneath the faucet; display,using one of the one or more display devices, a second prompt to applysoap to the hands; monitor the proximity detector for signals indicativeof the application of soap to the hands; display, using one of the oneor more display devices, a third prompt to scrub hands; monitor themotion detector for signals indicative of the scrubbing motion for apredetermined interval; display, using one of the one or more displaydevices, a fourth prompt to rinse the hands after the predeterminedinterval; monitor the motion detector for the signals indicative of thepresence of the hands beneath the faucet; display a fifth prompt, usingone of the one or more display devices, indicating completion of thehand washing; transmit a first output signal to the smart button deviceassociated with the display of the fifth prompt indicating completion ofthe hand washing; and set the light indicator of the smart button deviceto a positive indication color and light status to indicate completionof the hand washing for the user.
 27. A smart button device for use witha hand-washing monitoring system including a monitor installed on a sinkhaving a faucet, the smart button device configured to be worn by a userand comprising: a housing; a light indicator disposed on the housing andconfigured to at least one of change color and light status; a processorcoupled to the smart button device; and a memory coupled to theprocessor, the memory including program instructions that when executedby the processor cause the processor to: adjust the light indicator froma positive indication color and a positive solid light status to anintermediate mode comprising at least one of a negative blinking lightstatus and an alert indication color after a predetermined periodiccycle based on not receiving a prompt signal from the monitor indicativeof completion of a hand washing for the user; adjust the light indicatorfrom the intermediate mode to a negative solid light status and anegative indication color after a predetermined action period based onnot receiving a prompt signal from the monitor indicative of completionof a hand washing for the user during the predetermined action period;and adjust the light indicator from the intermediate mode to thepositive indication color and the positive solid light status after thepredetermined action period based on receiving a prompt signal from themonitor indicative of completion of a hand washing for the user duringthe predetermined action period.
 28. The smart button device of claim27, wherein the positive indication color is green, the negativeindication color is red, and the alert indication color is one of yellowand amber.